


Dragons speak Parseltongue too, you know!

by Potterwatcher



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dumbledore Bashing, Manipulative Dumbledore, Multi, Ron Weasley Bashing, Triad!Harry/Hermione/Luna
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-03-14 16:23:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3417452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potterwatcher/pseuds/Potterwatcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry befriends the dragon in the first task, and this makes all the difference. Watch as Harry rebels against the ministry, forms a bond with a dragon the likes of which hasn't been seen in centuries, and goes up against Voldemort! And he might just fall in love along the way... RonGinnyDumbles(possibly)Molly bashing, and Harry/Hermione/Luna for the pairing!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Task

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! So, I wrote this as a little bit of a birthday gift to myself a while ago, and since I finally got an Archive of our Own account, I figured I'd post it here! Reviews are welcome, as long as they aren't flames. I'm fine with constructive criticism, but flames are just unjustified.

Harry took a deep breath before stepping out of the tent to face his dragon. He was just about to summon his firebolt when he realized that the dragon was… talking? “What is going on? Are they going to hurt my eggs? Where am I?” Were some of the questions that he heard.

Harry’s heart softened at the sight of the frightened young mother to-be. “It’s alright. No one will hurt your eggs”

The dragon turned and looked at him “You speak?”

“Erm, I guess. This just sounds like English to me.”

“What is your name, speaker? Why am I here? What business do the humans have with my eggs?”

Harry was silent for a moment as he tried to figure out how to explain the Triwizard Tournament to a dragon. “I am Harry Potter, but you can call me Harry. A lot of humans are... silly creatures. They like having competitions, to see who is the strongest. This is one of those competitions, and the task is to get a fake egg from a nesting mother dragon, such as yourself, as fast as possible, because dragons are some of the strongest and hardest creatures for a human to defeat.” He finished, careful not to offend the fierce dragon.

“My name is Et Smaragdus Ignis. You may call me Ignis. You sound as if you do not wish to partake in this contest, yet here you are. Why?”

Harry sighed “Someone else entered me in this Tournament against my will, probably hoping to kill me.”

“I will not stand in your way. Fetch the fake egg, Parva Corvum. After the task is over, would you care to visit me sometime? You are fairly intelligent for a human.”

Harry laughed “Thank you for your kindness. I would love to visit you later.” Harry replied as he walked forward and grabbed the egg. Just before exiting the arena, he turned and waved to his new friend.

As soon as he got out of the arena Harry was bustled off to the medical tent by Madame Pomfrey. “What were they thinking, honestly, dragons!” She muttered before proceeding to check him over. “Harry, are you even injured at all?” Harry smiled at the lack of formality between them. Ever since the end of his second year, when Harry had spent hours and hours in the hospital wing with Hermione while she was petrified, he and Madame Pomfrey had been on first name terms.

“No. Ignis was really reasonable after I explained what was going on to her.” Harry said calmly, right before he was tackled by a mass of brown hair that he identified as Hermione.  
“Harry! Are you alright? Oh my goodness, I was so frightened when you didn’t summon your firebolt.” Hermione stopped talking when Ron entered the tent.

“You rotten parseltongue! What the hell did you do, agree to feed that dragon a bunch of first years in exchange for the egg? You really are just a dark bastard!”

“Ron!” Hermione gasped “He could have been killed!”

“But he wasn’t! He wasn’t even hurt! All the other champions were hurt, and they’re three years older than him! There’s no way that he could have managed that if he wasn’t a dark wizard!”

“Are you even listening to what you’re saying Weasley? Because we sure as hell aren’t.” Harry interjected coolly “I don’t believe that anyone asked you what you thought. Now if you’ll excuse us, it’s time for the judges to give out my score.” He finished with a glare as he and Hermione left the tent.

“I’m so sorry, Harry! I-I thought he was just being thick, but his sense of right and wrong is just as bigoted as Malfoy’s.”

“Don’t worry, Hermione, it’s not your fault that he’s a prat.”

“But I kept trying to get you to make up with that pig!”

“You only did what you thought was right. Now cheer up, the judges really are about to give out scores.”

Harry and Hermione both turned to look at the judges. Madame Maxime went first, awarding him a very large 10, which Bagman, Dumbledore, and Crouch quickly replicated, while Karkaroff gave him a 7. When people booed at him for this Karkaroff yelled right back. “He vaz zuppozed to fight ze dragon, not have a nice chat with it!”

Dumbledore had to shoot several fireworks out of his wand to get the crowd calm enough for Bagman to announce the final scores. Bagman’s sonorified voice boomed across the stadium. “Attention, ladies and gentleman. In third place, with a time of 22 minutes and 14 seconds and a score of 40 points, is Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts. Tied for second place, are Viktor Krum of Durmstrang with a time of 19 minutes and 56 seconds, and Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons with a time of 20 minutes and 22 seconds, both with 42 points. The tie is due to the fact that Krum was penalized for destroying one of the dragon eggs. And last, but most definitely not least, in first place, with a time of 5 minutes and 28 seconds and 47 points, is Harry Potter of Hogwarts!


	2. Thestrals and Luna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is having some difficulties with the egg, but gains a new friend. 
> 
> A/N: Sorry, it's a little short. And I know, you guys are probably thinking 'what the heck?! I thought this would be a Harry/Hermione and LUNA story. Don't worry, it' coming!

"God damn it!" Harry finally gave in to his frustration. No matter what he did, the egg just screeched at him. In the past two days after the First Task, he had opened it, hit it, tapped it with different sequences, hit it with a Finite, and filled it with various potion ingredients. He had even used Hermione's suggestion and put it in the fire to see if it would 'hatch', or in this case, do something other than destroy his eardrums.

Okay, he just needed to calm down and think about it rationally. Bagman had said that they needed to figure out the clue. That implied that it was some sort of code or language that could be figured out. If it were some sort of code or language, then it would probably be a magical one, so there had to be some sort of translation method or charm for it. Now he needed was book on magical languages and/or codes.

Harry hurried to the library, but stopped when he saw the notice on the door. It was only about 2:40 P.M., and on a Sunday too, but Madam Pince had closed the library early because two 'squabbling ruffians who didn't respect her books' had decided that the library was a great place for a fight. Brilliant, just brilliant. Now what was he going to do?

"Hello, Harry Potter." A sing song voice said from behind him.

Harry spun around to see a blond Ravenclaw who looked to be in the year below him. "Hello." He said cautiously. "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to recall your name…"

"You've never spoken to me before, but I'm Luna Lovegood." She said in that same voice.

It was at that moment that Harry realized that Luna wasn't wearing shoes. "Um… Where are your-"

"Shoes?" She finished for him. "The nargles took them. I was just going to see the thestrals, would you care to join me?"

Harry filed away the nargles thing as something to look into later, something just didn't feel right about that. Then he thought about her question. "What are Thestrals?"

Luna smiled sadly. For a brief moment, Harry saw something other than complacency in her eyes. He saw determination and… sorrow? "They're magical creatures, they look a bit like horses made up of bones with bat wings. You can only see them if you've seen someone die."

Harry's breath hitched. Every year, when he came to school, he always saw giant skeleton horse things pulling the carriages. No one else seemed to notice them, and when he asked an older student what made the carriages go forward, he had been given an odd look and told that it was just magic. But wait, he hadn't seen anyone die, had he? I did see my parents' deaths, I just didn't remember them until last year… With a start he realized that the girl standing in front of him, this Luna, must have seen someone die. "I'm so sorry-" He started.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Luna said firmly, that little spark of determination coming back into her eyes, then leaving as quickly as it came. No, he was wrong. It wasn't determination. It was courage. "Shall we?" She asked, her carefree smile firmly back in place.

Harry smiled. He liked this girl. "We shall." He said warmly, offering her his arm. She took it, and they were off.

Harry watched as Luna calmly pet the Thestrals. They were a bit skittish around him, so he had opted to sit down and watch from a distance. The Thestrals obviously loved Luna, and it looked like she had spent a lot of time with them. He frowned, her shoes were missing and her best friends were magical creatures. There was definitely something going on that he didn't know about. He would have to look into it later.

"Harry?" Luna called softly.

"Yes Luna?" He called back, just as softly.

"You should go visit her." Harry tried to think of who she was talking about when Luna continued. "Your dragon friend from the first task. They aren't going to stay here for much longer, and the dragon keepers will probably want a word with you too." She said with a small smile.

"Will you be okay out here by yourself?" He asked, concern evident in his tone.

"Oh, yes. I come out here all the time by myself."

"That may be true, but I try not to make it a habit to abandon my friends in the forest."

"Friends? We're friends?" Luna asked, obviously surprised.

"Oh, sorry, was I being too forward?"

"Oh, no, not at all. I-I've never had a friend before."

Harry pushed down his rising rage and stood up, enveloping Luna in a hug. "Luna, I will always be your friend." She stood there for a minute without responding, obviously in shock. He knew that it was a bold statement to make, having only just met her, but he could tell that someone, or several someones, had been bullying her. He couldn't stand bullies, and she was just so kind that he couldn't not to be her friend. After another moment's hesitation, she returned his hug.

"Harry," She said playfully, stepping away. "I thought I told you to visit your dragon." He grinned and saluted her as he started walking away. "Harry…" She called once more as she walked off. He turned back to look at her. "Thank you."


	3. Thestrals and Luna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry everyone, I accidentally posted the same chapter twice! Here's the real third chapter.

Harry was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed the dragons. A loud roar and a "Watch out, kid!" screamed at him was barely enough warning for him to jump out of the way of a massive pillar of flames. He looked up and saw that his would-be attacker was the Chinese Fireball.

Understanding dawned upon him. Of course she would be upset, probably inconsolable even, all of her eggs had been destroyed! He looked away from the distraught dragon with a sigh, the entire Ministry was made of idiots.

"Hey, kid! What are you-" The dragon keeper who had yelled at him stopped when he got a look at his face. "Merlin's balls, you're Harry Potter!" Harry sighed and turned towards the man, a tall, rugged fellow with short brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He prepared himself to deal with the ridiculous hero-worship that seemed to follow him wherever he went. "You were the one who spoke with our Hungarian Horntail, right?"

Harry looked at the man in shock. For once, someone didn't recognize him as the Boy Who Lived. To this man, he was the guy who could speak to dragons. "Uh, yeah?" He managed to stutter out in his shock.

The man just grinned at him. "You're a bit of a legend amongst the dragon keepers. Charlie wouldn't stop talking about you for months after you sent us the Norwegian Ridgeback, especially since you were, what, a Firstie at the time? And then, I swear, he just about died when he saw you up against the Hungarian Horntail."

"Charlie, as in Charlie Weasley?" Harry had to check. He had thought for sure that Ron would have poisoned the rest of his family against him. Apparently not.

"Yep. Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Fnord. Fnord Haugen." Fnord rolled his eyes. "I know it's a weird name, but Mum wanted to name me Asbjørn. Thank Merlin Dad reigned her in, I mean, can you imagine, a dragon keeper named Asbjørn? The guys would just call me Assburn."

Harry snorted. Fnord was very talkative, but kind of funny.

"Oh, hey, there's Charlie now." Fnord spotted a tall redhead that Harry vaguely remembered from that night, 3 years ago. "Oi, Charlie! CHARLIE! Your dragon whisperer is here!"

The dragon keepers within hearing range laughed as they turned to look at them. Grinning, Charlie ran over. "Harry! Long time no see, how've you been?"

"I've been pretty well." Harry said slightly awkwardly.

Apparently, Charlie noticed his discomfort. "What's the matter?"

Harry shifted slightly. "Are you sure you should be talking to me? I mean, Ron won't be happy with you…" Here he trailed off.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Ron has serious jealousy issues. When he was little, every time one of us got something new, he refused to talk to us for weeks. He's always wanted to be the center of attention, so he went completely mental when your name came out of the Goblet. He sent me a letter ranting about how he should be getting everything because he's always been on the side of the light and you were a parseltongue who didn't even know about magic and how it wasn't fair." He rolled his eyes again. "Ron is my brother and I love him, but he is seriously bigoted against anything that doesn't strictly fit into his definition of light. If he knew half the things that Bill and I did, he would try to get Dad to disown us. He just doesn't understand that dark isn't synonymous with evil. The point is, don't worry about him."

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

Charlie grinned right back at him and seemed to be about to say something when the Chinese Fireball started up again.

"Sorry Harry, gotta run!" Fnord called as he and Charlie ran off to deal with the mourning dragon.

Harry continued walking. Soon enough, he found Ignis' enclosure. She was laying on a pile of small, white-hot stones, obviously heated by her fire. Against her side, partially buried in the hot stones, were 5 eggs. "Hello, Parva Corvum,"

Harry jumped. "Hello Ignis. How have you and the eggs been?"

"We've been fine, but I am concerned for Gang Bai."

"Gang Bai… Is that the Chinese Fireball who lost her eggs?"

"Yes. She is so depressed that Aerona, Annika, and I have been considering giving her one of each of our eggs if she does not get better." At Harry's look of confusion, Ignis elaborated. "Nesting mothers are extremely protective of their eggs. While we have our young, they are the only reason we have to live. If one dies, she mourns for weeks. If all of her eggs are destroyed, she often gives up the will to live. If we gave her one of each of our eggs, it might be enough to lift her out of her depression and give her a reason to continue living."

"But wouldn't you get depressed then, instead?"

"No. Our eggs would still be alive and well, so we'd be fine."

Harry shrugged internally. Who was he to question the habits of dragons? "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask why your name is-"

"So different from the others?" Ignis interrupted. Harry nodded. "Many years ago, when a dragon found a human who was worthy, they would often make them a Dragon Friend. Once the Dragon Friend ritual was completed, those humans would take on some of the better traits of a dragon, such as resistance to heat and fire, increased strength, and, very rarely, the ability to fly. Sometimes, a Dragon Friend would be gifted with an egg to raise, and it was customary for them to name the hatchling. My Dragon Friend was a spell crafter, so he was fluent in Latin. He named me after my unusual Emerald Fire."

Harry's eyes widened "You were raised by a human?"

"Yes. Ignotus Peverell." She said wistfully. "You smell of him, very faintly."

Harry took a moment to ingest that new information. "I suppose it might be possible that I am related to him. When was he alive?"

"Hmm," Ignis said thoughtfully. "Well, he was born in 1214 and faked his death in 1291, but he was alive until his mid-270s, so it must have been about 1485."

Harry did a double take. "… that makes you, well, that must make you at least 600 or 700 years old."

"Yes. I'm 763."

"...How long do dragons live?"

"A few thousand years, at least."

"Right." Before he could process that information, Harry heard a bell sounding in the distance. "Sorry, Ignis, but I've got to go! That's the bell for dinner." Had he really been outside for that long?

"Good night and farewell, Parva Corvum."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter was really hard to write for some reason, but it's just filler to establish Luna and a little foreshadowing for some ideas bouncing around in my head. Next chapter there'll be some plot development with Dumbledore. Also, please comment!

Harry winced as he ran toward the castle with fervor, stupid headache! He was hoping to arrive while everyone was still getting seated so that he could sneak in relatively unnoticed. For once, luck was on his side and he managed to arrive in the Great Hall without calling too much attention to himself. He slid into his seat next to Hermione just as Dumbledore finished the announcements.

"...And, I am pleased to inform you that the library has been repaired and will be reopened after dinner." He finished with a flourish. "Now that that is all taken care of, tuck in!"

"Harry?"

Harry mentally did a happy dance.

"Harry?!"

Finally! Now he could find the book he needed on languages and codes!

"HARRY!"

Harry turned to see Hermione looking at him with an amused expression. "Sorry about that, I was a bit distracted."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was just wondering what you were up to all afternoon, you did disappear for a while."

"Oh! Well, I went to the library and found out that it was closed, but while I was there I ran into a Ravenclaw in the year below us. Her name is Luna Lovegood, and she invited me to see the Thestrals-"

"Thestrals? What are those?"

Harry snickered. Typical Hermione. "Thestrals are magical creatures that you can only see if you've seen someone die. They looked a bit like skeleton horses with giant bat wings. But, as I was saying, something seemed a bit odd while we were there. The thestrals were skittish around me, because they had never seen me before; you know how that is, right?"

Hermione nodded in understanding.

"Well, the thestrals weren't like that with Luna. Actually, a mother with a foal trotted right up to her, and they nuzzled against her. When I asked her about it, she just said that she spent a lot of time with them. Later, as I was leaving to go visit the dragons, I mentioned in passing that I considered her a friend, she teared up and said that she had never had any friends before."

Hermione quickly raised her hand up to dry her eye. "How is that even possible, unless she was bullied…" Then her eyes widened as she processed the first part of his statement. "What do you mean, YOU WENT BACK TO SEE THE DRAGONS!" She yelled in his ear.

"Hermione, I'm fine!" Harry babbled, desperately trying to calm her. "I could speak with them, and they're really quite reasonable. I only had to dodge one pillar of flames!" Harry clamped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he had said.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Harry just stared at Hermione.

"'Mione, I-"

"You have lost the right to speak right now! I cannot believe that you would endanger yourself so carelessly. Don't you have any sense of self-preservation? And you didn't even think about how it might affect everyone else if you got yourself killed! Or that Ravenclaw girl- Luna, how do think she would feel, having her first friend die within hours of meeting him!"

"But Luna's the one who reminded me to go see the dragons; and I promised Ignis that I would visit."

"That's not the point, Harry!" Hermione raised a hand to her eye to brush away a tear. "You're my best friend- I can't stand the thought of losing you!"

"Hermione, it's okay."

Hermione smiled at the confused look on his face. "Boys." She muttered affectionately.

After dinner, Harry and Hermione started to make their way to the library.

"So I think that it's some sort of magical language or code. I mean, it would make sense." Harry finished.

"Harry… That's brilliant!"

"Why are you so surprised?" Harry asked jokingly "Is it so hard to believe that I might come up with a good idea every once in a while?"

Hermione blushed "Well-" But she was cut off by the sound of cruel laughter in the next corridor.

Harry rushed forward with Hermione close behind only to see a group of Ravenclaws tormenting a young blonde girl. At closer inspection, he recognized some of them. Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecomb, Michael Corner, and Roger Davies were there to name a few. And the girl that they were tormenting, it was Luna!

"Hey Loony, I love your shoes!"

"Invisible is just the latest fashion?"

"Yeah, where'd you get them?"

"She probably borrowed them from one of her invisible creatures."

"Yeah, I bet-"

But whatever Random Ravenclaw #5 was going to say was cut off by Harry. He barged forward and stood between the group of bullies and Luna. "What," He started, his voice filled with cold fury. "Exactly do you think you're doing?"

The Ravenclaws started, and a few of the younger ones backed up, terrified of the expression on Harry's face. The older ones had no such qualms. "It's none of your business, Potter?! Davies sneared, "But, if you insist on butting your nose is where it isn't wanted, were just teaching Loony here a lesson."

"Her name is Luna, and actually, it is my business. You see, I tend to make it my business when I see people bullying others, especially when said bullies are bullying my friends."

"Your friends? Don't make me laugh. Loony doesn't have any friends."

Harry's eyes lit up, almost glowing with unbridled fury. "Luna Lovegood is my friend."

Hermione pushed her way through what was left of the group of Ravenclaws. "And if she'll have me, I'll be her friend too."

"Does anyone have a problem with that?" Harry asked, with an arched eyebrow that was eerily reminiscent of a certain potions master that they all knew.

The few Ravenclaws who hadn't run away with their tails between their legs started backing up slowly, some nodding their heads fearfully and some sneering to hide their cowardice.

"Oh, and by the way," Harry called after them. "If I ever see or even hear about any of you bullying again, I will personally come after you and you will be sorry."

Davies managed to pull himself together enough to ask, "Is that a threat, Potter?"

Harry grinned feraly. "No. It's a promise."


	5. Tom Marvolo Riddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Although I have a theory that J.K. Rowling secretly writes and publishes fanfictions to correct the mistakes that she made and/or the regrets that she had from the books, but I'm not her, so I can't prove it.

Harry knelt down next to the now crying Luna. "Luna, they won't bother you anymore." He said as he awkwardly patted her back in an attempt at comfort.

Hermione had no such qualms. She engulfed Luna in a hug. "Oh, God Luna! Those-those bastards! How could they do this to you?"

Luna gave a watery smile. "People fear what they don't understand, and do what they can to dominate it."

Hermione just hugged Luna tighter. Harry shuffled awkwardly in the background. Sure, he had hugged Luna earlier, but that was a split second decision. Hermione noticed exactly what he was doing and smiled. "Get over here, Harry. You're a part of this too, now."

And after that, nothing was quite the same.

Over the next few weeks, the new group of friends grew closer and closer, until Harry and Hermione had no qualms about telling Luna of their adventures over the last few years. Luna proved to be an excellent listener, and even offered to have her father do a story about Sirius. They were considering doing it, and the best way to go about it, but that's beside the point.

The trio was rarely, if ever, seen apart. Well, outside of classes, that is. At first, meals were a bit of a problem, but then they worked out a system. Since they were made up of 2 Gryffindors and 1 Ravenclaw, they ate breakfast at Gryffindor, lunch at Ravenclaw, and dinner once again at Gryffindor, except for the feasts, during which they were required to sit at their house tables. Harry and Hermione had wanted to eat every other meal at each table, but Luna had refused, and convinced them to do her system instead, using her clear reasoning to convince them.

The trio was sitting at the Gryffindor table at dinner when, surprisingly enough, Parkinson walked over with Crabbe and Goyle in tow. Harry hid his surprise at this turn of events and turned to face her. "Oh, it's just you." He said nonchalantly, turning back to his food.

She stuttered in rage about being ignored. "So, Potter," She spat "You finally found someone who's as crazy as you are."

Harry rolled his eyes. Was that really the best she had? He forced himself to calm down at the insult towards Luna and see reason. She was obviously trying to get a rise out of him, and he refused to give her that satisfaction. "Yup." He said simply.

She stumbled for a moment before picking up where she left off. "So you admit it, then. I guess hanging out with the weasel and the mudblood wasn't enough, then. If you're going to be friends with a blood traitor, might as well be a bonkers one as well, isn't that right Potter?"

Okay, that didn't even make any sense. Since she obviously wasn't going to go away on her own, Harry decided that he would nip this in the bud.

"If anyone's a blood traitor in this case, Parkinson, that would be you." He said simply, finally turning towards her.

She gaped at him in disbelief. "What!? I would never dishonor my family by hanging about with the riff raff!"

Harry laughed. Loudly. The few people who hadn't been watching their altercation already were now. Perfect. "You, my dear, are a bloody hypocrite. You are a pureblood, are you not?"

"Yes, of course!" Pansy said proudly.

"Well, almost all the purebloods in England are related in some way. Tell me, did you ever see the name Voldemort-" Gasps of shock broke out. "Oh please, it's just a bloody name! Anyways, have you ever seen the name Voldemort on your family tree? On any of your family trees?"

Pansy, along with several other purebloods, shook her head in confusion. Harry smiled. "Exactly. Now, we've established that it's a fake name, but, we all know that he claimed to be the heir of Slytherin. Well, the only family I know of that is directly descended from Slytherin is the Gaunts."

Harry smirked. Now it was time for his trump card "Tom Marvolo Riddle." He stated, using the charm he had learned from Riddle to spell his name in the air. "A brilliant student; 12 OWLs and 12 NEWTs. Head boy." He smirked, this was where it got fun. "He was the illegitimate son of a rich muggle named Tom Riddle, and a squib named Merope Gaunt." Gasps were heard as some of the students started to put it all together. "Merope fell in love with Tom, and used love potions to get him to 'love' her back. Once she was pregnant with his son, she stopped administering the love potions to him, thinking that he would stay with her for the baby's sake." He smiled grimly. "She was wrong. He left her. She had been disowned by her family for being with a muggle, so she wandered the streets in rags, until she gave birth in an orphanage, only living long enough to name her son." He slowly started to rearrange the letters in the air. Gasps broke out. "'I am Lord Voldemort.'" Harry read aloud. "Voldemort means flight of death in French, by the way." He turned back towards Pansy. "Your family, along with many others, has stood by and cheered this man on as he killed other wizards, and other purebloods; your parents stood by as he killed your family. You allowed him to brand you like cattle, he who is, by your own definition, barely better than a muggleborn. Congratulations, Parkinson." He laughed. "Your family, and by your own deeds supporting him, you are the true definition of a blood traitor."

Parkinson's face was the perfect picture of rage. She stood there, shaking in anger, before bellowing "Serpensortia!"

A snake came out of the end of her wand. It was at least 6 feet long, and probably 6 inches in diameter at the head, and 4.5 inches on the rest of its body. The reptile was black with silvery grey spots on its back, and stunning green eyes, eerily similar to Harry's own.

"Why was I summoned?" It hissed angrily.

Harry smirked. Was Parkinson really so stupid that she would unleash a snake on the only person in the whole school who could speak parseltongue? "That girl behind you isn't very smart." He remarked.

"A speaker!" The snake hissed in shock. "I've never met one of your kind who could speak before. Why is she angry with you, anyway?"

"She's angry with me for proving her wrong, and called you to attack me."

"I can see why you think the wench is unintelligent, if she called me to attack you." The snake laughed. The snake asked. "I am Monty the python. What is your name, hatchling?"

"I am Harry Potter."

After a brief conversation, it was decided that Monty would stay with Harry. After all, the pet list and the one pet limit was just for first years. Besides, snakes were great at catching rats.

After they had escaped the pandemonium in the Great Hall and gone to the library (with Monty wrapped around Harry's shoulders, sleeping), Hermione and Luna pounced on him for information.

"How on earth did you learn all that, Harry?" Hermione demanded.

"Did you plan that speech out in advance?" Luna enquired.

"What did the python say to you?"

"Do you think that the purebloods will believe it and be dissuaded from the dark?"

"Give a guy a moment to think!" Harry interrupted before they could ask any more questions. "And the answers to your questions are: I researched after 2nd year and put it together, yes I had that speech semi-planned, I was just waiting for the right moment to say it, he said his name is Monty and he decided to stay with me, and I hope so."

The girls took a moment to put it all together before they started laughing.

"Only you Harry-" Hermione started.

"Would manage to debunk decades of pureblood beliefs-" Luna continued.

"And get a pet in the process." Hermione finished.

Harry felt a shiver of trepidation go down his spine at the twin speak. What had he gotten himself into?

The trio was enjoying breakfast at the Gryffindor table the next day when Professor McGonagall walked over, looking slightly unhappy. "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster has requested your presence in his office after breakfast. He also wishes to inform you that he enjoys ice mice."

"Thank you Professor." He said, surprised. What on earth could the old man want with him now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, I just named the snake Monty Python. I have no regrets. On a less Sirius and more serious note (yes, I just went there), I want to thank you guys for all the awesome support on this story! You guys are great.


	6. Dumbledore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I updated; I kind of forgot about this site. Oh yeah, if you want to read ahead of what's on archiveofourown, go to Fanfiction.net and look this story up (same username, same story title). I've got it to chapter 11 there. I think that I'm going to post every Sunday and every Thursday from now until I've got this site caught up, then it will just be every Thursday like normal.

Harry was deep in thought as he made his way to Dumbledore's office. What on earth could he be summoning him for? He supposed that it could be about the Tom Riddle thing, but that seemed unlikely. After all, anyone who put any thought into it could figure that one out. It definitely didn't have anything to do with the dragons, it had been about two weeks since he had visited them… Oh! He had been so distracted by his new friend Luna that he had forgotten to visit Ignis lately. Hopefully she wouldn't be too upset with him.

Wait… what if she had already been taken back to the reserve? It was obvious that moving dragons was a long and tedious procedure, if the fact that they had been here at Hogwarts for at least a month before the first task, where anyone could see them and tell a champion about them, was any indication. He resolved to visit Ignis right after he got out of Dumbledore's office, classes be damned!

He was torn out of his thoughts by Dumbledore's gargoyle clearing its throat. He must have been standing there for a while, if the look of impatience and slight amusement on the gargoyle's face had anything to do with it. "Er, lemon drops?" He asked automatically, blinking in confusion when the gargoyle grunted at him. He flushed in embarrassment, he had been so lost in thought that forgot about the not so subtle message. "Ice mice." he stated, relieved when the gargoyle slid aside for him without further resistance.

He walked up the stairs and before he could even knock on the door, Dumbledore called. "Harry, come in, my boy!" He must have placed some sort of charm on the door or the stairs that would tell him who was coming.

"Hello, Professor." Harry said cautiously. He still didn't know why he had been summoned.

"Lemon drop?" The professor asked good naturedly, pushing the bowl towards Harry… wait, was that a glint in his eye? 'Calm down, Potter. You're making Mad Eye Moody look downright careless.' He was probably just imagining things.

"You're probably wondering just why I've summoned you here today, Harry." Dumbledore said serenely. 'Right in one, old man.' "Well, I was wondering how exactly you stumbled upon that information about Tom?"

Ah, so that was why the old man had called him up here. "Well, sir, Riddle told me his name back in the chamber during 2nd year, and showed me that name trick. I did a little research, and it didn't really take much to put it all together. After all, he was Head Boy, so his records were public. Plus, I live in the muggle world, so it wasn't that hard to find the mysterious murders at Riddle Manor online. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out that they died of the killing curse."

"Online?"

"Yes, you know, the internet? Almost everything is on it now."

"I thought that the computer things that muggles had were just a fad."

"Everyone thought that in the early 90s, but now..."

"Ah, so that's it. Now, that is all well and good my boy, but you must be careful as to how quickly you inform people of this sort of thing." 'Got it,' Harry thought. 'So you didn't want that information released yet, if at all. I wonder why...' Dumbledore cleared his throat, noticing Harry's reverie. "Now, it has also come to my attention that you have been using parseltongue more and more lately, and that you have acquired a pet snake."

Harry's narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Last I checked sir, the pet list is only for firsties, and snakes are allowed."

Dumbledore chuckled, the twinkle in his eye seeming a bit more forced than usual. "Yes, my boy, that is true. However, I am concerned about your use of this dark power. If you continue to cultivate this ability, then you are letting Tom win. You already look quite a bit like Tom did when he was a child, and you speak parseltongue with a pet snake. People may start to see certain… parallels between the two of you."

Harry couldn't believe this. How could Dumbledore say that? He wasn't nearly as stupid or biblio-phobic as he allowed people to believe, and he had done some research on parseltongue as soon as he found out he really had the ability. Parseltongue was a strictly genetic inheritance, and his father had been a pureblood. Like he had said earlier, almost all the pureblood families in Britain were related in some way, so it was actually quite likely that he was somehow related to Slytherin, and had gained the ability through that blood relation. Harry held his tongue though, he would have to play his cards carefully if he wished to get through this without inadvertently making a promise to stop using parseltongue,

"Sir, I was thinking. What if I use parseltongue for good? What it I placed it in a positive light so that people would stop seeing it, and by extension, anyone who can speak it, as evil?"

Dumbledore just laughed at him. Stupid old coot. "My dear boy, public opinion is fickle, and you must not get on the wrong side of it at such a young age. Maybe when you are older…" He trailed off. Harry noted that Dumbledore was not specific as to what he could do when he was older, nor how old older was.

"I understand, sir." He inwardly snorted. Oh, he definitely understood. This was a diversion tactic. The old man was trying to distract him with promises of 'later' and was probably planning to do so for so long that he thought Harry would forget about it. Well, news flash, Dumbles, Harry was not going to fall for that trick again.

"Good, good. Now that we have this matter perfectly clear, you are free to go."

Good god, the man made it sound like he was releasing him from a prison sentence. 'Another tactic to make me feel indebted to him.' Harry thought darkly. He had been fooled enough by the Dursleys to be able recognize when someone was using these tactics against him.

As he walked out of the office, he had but one thought. 'I have to speak with Ignis."

Harry jogged out to the forest, amazed at the change in scenery. Two weeks ago, it had been a bustling dragon pen, with at least 50 dragon keepers tending to the four dragons. Now there were but two dragons left there, and half the people. Luckily for him, Ignis and the Chinese Fireball, Gang bee or Gandhi or something like that, were the two dragons who had not been returned to the reserve. He hollered a quick hello to Charlie and Fnord before climbing into Ignis' pen. She appeared to be sleeping, so he jumped when she said, "Ah, good. I was hoping that you would be able to visit again before I left."

Harry's eyes shifted to look at the Chinese Fireball, who was sleeping peacefully with 3 eggs around her.

"To answer your question, yes, the other dragons and I each gifted Gang Bai with an egg in order to restore her health. It will take time, but she should make a full recovery."

Harry smiled in relief. He had been concerned for the poor young mother. "That's great!" He paused. "But I bring news."

With that, he filled her in on everything that had happened from the Parkinson incident to Dumbledore's not-so-subtle manipulations. When he finished, Ignis was deep in thought. Finally, she spoke. "Parva Corvum," She started seriously "I have been considering this ever since I met you. I am getting old to be a mother, and I had a nest with 5 eggs. The typical amount for a nesting mother is 3, and while I did give one away to poor Gang Bai, 4 will still be difficult for me to raise properly." She took a deep breath. "That is why, Harry Potter, Speaker and Champion, if you so choose to accept, I would like to gift you one of my eggs and make you a Dragon Friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yay! Don't you just love cliffies? Anyways, I hope you liked it, so leave a comment!


	7. Draconus Amicus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Like I promised, every Sunday and Thursday until we're all caught up!

Harry looked at Ignis in shock. "You want to make me a… Dragon Friend?"

"Do you not wish it?" Ignis tilted her head at him.

Harry shook his head, panicking. "No, no, I'd be honored! But… what about the Ministry? They don't allow dragons to be kept as pets."

"It would not be the bond of a pet and its owner, but the bond of a Dragon Friend and his familiar. No government can interfere with that bond."

"But am I really the best choice?"

Ignis snorted. "You speak our language, and could tell my hatchling about his or her heritage. And, in the short time I have known you, you have proved to be respectful and kind, yet protective of those you care about. You are… chivalrous."

Harry blushed. "I'm not that great." He mumbled. "I treat others as I would want to be treated, and I love my friends."

"That is exactly why I have chosen you. Now come, we must do this quickly."

Harry stepped forward to be right next to Ignis. "What do I do?"

"You and I will slit our wrists, then we shall place our wounds together." At his look of confusion, she amended "The dragon blood running through your veins will protect you from the burn of my fire. You will pick up the egg that your magic feels a pull towards, and to seal the bond I will bathe you in my flames. After you have been bathed in flame, you will experience some… changes."

"Changes? Like what?"

"You shall be, in a sense, reborn. Any scars or blemishes upon your body that you do not wish to be there shall be healed, along with any current illnesses."

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "Would this fire of yours heal malnutrition?"

Ignis thought about this for a moment. "Yes, it should, youngling. I had wondered why you were so small. May I ask as to why you were not given an adequate amount to eat?"

"Let's just say… my relatives aren't too fond of me."

Ignis started quaking with fury as she realized what this statement meant. "Younglings are precious and few! They should be treasured, not scorned and starved! How DARE they!"

"Ignis, please calm down! It's not so bad now that they're scared of what my godfather might do to them."

"Humans have Godfathers as well? Good, at least your species is doing something right."

Harry laughed. "So, how do we do this ritual?"

"Use your powers to create a knife, Parva Corvum, and then slit your wrist with it."

Harry did as she asked, quickly transfiguring a small and plain blade before slicing open his arm. He winced slightly at the pain, and before he could get dizzy from blood loss, Ignis quickly sliced one of her own wrists with her claw. She held out her wrist, and he laid his arm against hers, watching in fascination as their blood mixed. Then Ignis started chanting in what sounded like Latin. "Domina Magicae, benedicito puer sicut ego eum tollam amicum."

Harry watched incredulously as their wounds healed and then he felt it. It was like something was tugging him towards one of the eggs, and the egg that he somehow just knew would be his appeared to be… glowing. He picked up the egg and stumbled, and all he saw before he blacked out was an emerald green pillar of flame rushing toward him.

Harry groaned as he woke up. Whatever the hell that ritual had done to him, it sure had made him sore.

"He's alive!" He heard shouts of joy and relief sound all around him. Someone pulled him up, but he couldn't see who, it was too blurry. He reached up to check and see if he was wearing his glasses. Shockingly enough, he was. Wait, the ritual was supposed to fix any physical imperfections, so maybe… He reached up on a whim and pulled his glasses off. As he had expected, the world came into view, and he found himself almost nose to nose with Charlie and Fnord.

"Harry, thank God you're okay!" Charlie said, wiping his brow in relief as the other dragon keepers went back to their duties.

"Yeah, if you'd have died, then we'd've had a ton of paperwork. Not to mention the wrath of his mother." Fnord gestured at Charlie.

Charlie paled and shuddered. "You're right. I hadn't even thought about that."

"What were you thinking anyways, letting the dragon roast you like that?"

"Yeah, I thought she was your friend."

Harry grinned at the two mischievously. "Oh yeah, she's definitely my friend." And with that, he tried to stand up. Tried being the keyword. No sooner than he had stood up did he fall over, flat on his face.

Charlie and Fnord gaped at him. No more was he the runty boy they had known. In his place stood a boy of slightly above average height for his age, probably about 5 ft 7 or 8 inches. He wasn't a stick, but he was a young man with muscles that showed that he played Quidditch, yet weren't too overpowering on his slim frame. His skin had lost its pallid complexion, now he was simply the pale color associated with spending too much time inside. After a few weeks outside in the spring, he would have a healthy tan. However, his current milky white skin combined with the lack of glasses worked stunningly well to bring out his deep emerald eyes. His facial features were more pronounced, too, and his nose had become strong yet regal at the same time. Perhaps the most shocking thing was that his lightning bolt scar, the thing that had made him famous, had split open and was bleeding profusely.

As Harry was wiping the blood out of his eyes, two shouts of "Harry!" and "What the bloody fuck?" came out of Charlie and Fnord's mouths at the same time. Harry just grinned. He felt lighter than he could ever remember being. It wasn't just that he was physically better, it was spiritual as well. It almost felt like a weight had been lifted off his soul.

"Don't worry, guys." Harry grinned. "I feel great!"

Fnord rolled his eyes. "Only you, Harry, could get roasted by a dragon and come out, not only alive, but 'feeling great'!"

Charlie snorted. "Are you sure that you aren't hurt? Maybe we should take you down to Madame Pomfrey just in case." Then he noticed the egg. "Harry… Why do you have one of the dragon's eggs? And what happened to it?!"

Harry, who hadn't realized that he was still holding the egg under one arm, held it up to get a better look. The egg didn't look like the other eggs anymore. Instead of being the bland white that the rest of the eggs were, it was a dark silver, with swirling black designs seemingly etched into it. But, somehow Harry knew that the designs were runes, and they were there because of him. "Like I said, Charlie, these dragons are definitely my friends."

Charlie furrowed his brow in confusion as Fnord's eyes widened in shock. "No," He breathed, his arm reaching out almost subconsciously to touch the egg. "My grandfather used to tell us stories, but I didn't think they could actually be true." He said, his intense gaze piercing Harry's own,

"What? Fnord, mate, what are you on about?"

Fnord ignored Charlie and kept searching Harry's eyes with his gaze, as if trying to figure out what had made him worthy to be a Dragon Friend. Finally, he nodded. "Good luck, mate. Do what you have to do." He finally said as he dragged a protesting Charlie away.

Harry turned to Ignis, still grinning. "So, what happens now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: What happens now, indeed, Harry? Hehehe, yet another cliffie.


	8. Guess what's about to hit the Fan!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated this sight in a while, I lost my password and... yeah. Sorry this one's so short, it's mostly just fiiller for the next chapter, which is where the REAL action happens! But don't worry, I won't make you wait for it :D. The next chappie will be up within 5 minutes.

Harry turned to Ignis, still grinning. "So, what happens now?"

Ignis rolled her eyes at the youngling standing before her. "Now you continue life as you have been living it… with a few small changes.

"Like?"

"As I said before, you will experience changes. Our blood has fused, so you will likely become completely fire resistant in the near future, that is, if you are not already. All dragons shall recognize you as a friend, and none other than oathbreakers shall attempt to harm you. Your skin will harden against attacks, you will have far superior endurance compared to what you had before, and other than that, I myself am not may be some other effects, or there may not be; every Dragon Friend it is different."

"Got it." Harry said thoughtfully. "So, how do I prevent the ministry from, you know, locking me in Azkaban and doing who knows what with the egg?"

"Merely mention the bond, your ministry's special ones, Unthinkables or something like that, should recognize the bond. And, if they don't, the ragged Keeper with brown fur who is always around the Keeper with red fur should be able to tell them. Oh, and what is this 'Azkabibble' that you speak of?"

Harry inwardly snorted at both her description of Fnord and Charlie and her fails at pronouncing 'Unspeakables' and 'Azkaban'. "I think you mean Unspeakables. Azkaban is the wizarding prison. It's an awful place to be, it's guarded by dementors."

"Dementors?"

Harry wracked his brain for a name that she would know. "When we were learning about them last year, I think my professor mentioned that they were once called Ring Wraiths, or something to that effect."

Ignis gasped. "Ring Wraiths!? Does your ministry not realize that the Wraiths will feed on whoever they can?"

"Yeah," Harry laughed uncomfortably. "I know what you mean. About 100 of them swarmed me and my godfather last year."

Ignis just stared at him for several moments. Finally, she said "You and I are going to have a very long talk later regarding your 'adventures'."

Harry involuntarily shivered and looked around. Ignis had sounded scarily like Hermione for a moment there.

"Incendio Maxima. Frigida ad Tactum." Harry cast tiredly, yet again. He had been with Ignis for hours as she had forced him to basically give her his entire life story. Then she had forced him to learn the charm to keep the egg at a suitable temperature, and the charm that would allow others to touch the egg without, you know, burning their hands off. Fortunately, the bond allowed him to touch the egg without being burned, but the same could not be said for his friends... or his clothes.

Harry started at the sound of the dinner bell ringing in the distance. 'Saved by the bell.' He thought wryly as he picked up the egg and stood up. "Ignis." He called softly to the now sleeping dragon.

Said dragon lazily opened one eye at him. "What?"

"It's dinner time. I've got to go."

"Alright, but remember how to handle your ministry."

"Don't worry, I will. I'll try to come back tomorrow or next week."

Ignis merely grunted in reply as she went back to sleep. Harry just smiled and shook his head as he walked towards the castle.

Harry went over everything he had to do in his head as he was walking. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice he was at the doors to the Great Hall until the yelling and laughter alerted him to his surroundings.

He took a deep breath to compose himself and started when he realized that the egg was... humming? No, it wasn't humming exactly, it was more like it was giving off a warm and soothing, almost comforting feeling. Harry blinked in shock as he realized that the egg must have recognized his anxiety and was doing its best to quell it. He smiled down at the egg in appreciation, and somehow knew that it understood. "Well, little one," He said simply, "I guess this is it." And with that, he pushed open the doors.


	9. It did hit the Fan!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whoo! This chapter is 50% longer than average! You guys are so sweet, your reviews are the things that keep me going. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: They taught us in Kindergarten that sharing is caring. I'm just letting J.K. Rowling know that I care.

"Well, little one," He said simply, "I guess this is it." And with that, he pushed open the doors...

...and then he jumped back and let the doors swing back closed. 'What the hell am I doing?' He thought to himself as he turned to go back to the dorms. 'Why on Earth would I go in there with the egg? That'll just cause a whole boatload of problems way sooner than necessary! I can just leave the egg in the dorm or something until it hatches. I wonder why Ignis never thought of that...'

He nodded as he continued walking up the stairs. That would be perfect. Unfortunately, Harry was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice he had come upon the trick step. His foot sank down into the staircase and he was thrown off balance. He valiantly fought to regain his balance, only to tumble backwards, right back down the stairs.

Harry groaned as he sat up and did a quick assessment. There were some scrapes and bruises here and there, but he would live. Wait... the egg! Had it survived the drop? He quickly stood up, frantically looking around for the egg, only to realize that he was still holding it. 'That's strange,' He furrowed his brow, 'I could have sworn that I had let go...'

Harry's eyes widened as he realized why Ignis hadn't told him to drop the egg off somewhere out of sight. Just to make sure, he raised the egg up into the air and let go. Nothing. The egg was still there, hanging off his hand like a magnet. 'So that's why... Well, at least I don't have to worry about dropping it.' He thought dryly to himself as he turned back towards the Great Hall.

Fortunately for him, or perhaps not so fortunately, he was late enough that Dumbledore's announcements were finished and dinner had already started. He opened the doors and snuck towards the Gryffindor table as inconspicuously as he could, but, seeing that he was the famous Boy-Who-Lived-To-Have-A-Hyphenated-Nickname-And-Be-Selected-By-The-Goblet-Of-Fire, it wasn't very inconspicuous at all.

At least half of Gryffindor and a good chunk of Hufflepuff were all staring at him and the egg. He shot them a half-smile as he sat between Hermione and Luna, hoping against hope that they would miraculously find something else to occupy them. He had no such luck. He looked around the entire hall to assess the damage when he noticed that Malfoy was getting up to leave with a rather smug look on his face.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed, trying (and failing) to act like nothing was up. "What is that?" Her eyes widened. "Is is the golden egg? Did Ignis help you figure out the clue?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Luna did it for him. "No." She said calmly. "It's quite obvious, really. Our Harry here has undergone the Dragon Friend ritual, a long forgotten honor that there hasn't been a known case of since Ignotus Peverell, who Harry just happens to be descended from. That's his bonded egg, soon to be familiar, which means that he shared blood with the mother of that egg, presumably Ignis. Now the ministry is going to attempt to take away the egg, but won't be able to because of yet another long forgotten law that the Unspeakables will remind them of. Does that answer your questions Hermione?"

"What?!" Hermione gaped.

"Luna," Harry stuttered in astonishment, "How... How did you know all that?"

Luna blinked and tilted her head innocently. "Oh, was I not supposed to know? I'm sorry Harry, I honestly thought that it wasn't that big a deal. Am I also not supposed to know that you have a very unique birthmark shaped like an otter fishing from the crescent moon on your-"

"I think that that's enough Luna!" Harry butted in quickly, before Luna could tell everyone about the adorable little birthmark he had on his... well, never mind.

Hermione had long since started having a miniature breakdown, which included, but was not limited to, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth, and muttering random things under her breath such as "My cabbages!", "Become one with mother Russia!", and perhaps most disturbingly, "There is something really funky about the back of his head!"

Harry just shook his head and turned to Luna incredulously. "You, Luna Selene Lovegood, are the most strangely well-informed person I have ever met."

"Thank you, Harry James Potter. May I enquire as to why we are using full names?"

"It's for emphasis because... you know what? Never mind. I think you broke Hermione."

Luna took a moment to examine the still rocking girl before calmly walking up to her, taking off her butterbeer-cap necklace, and placing it around the poor girl's neck.

To everyone in the immediate vicinity's astonishment, Hermione stopped rocking at once and blinked a few times before getting up, dusting herself off, and slowly walking back to her seat. "I'm sorry, guys." She said, obviously still a bit confused, "I'm not sure what came over me. Luna, is there some sort of enchantment on this?" She asked as she fingered the necklace.

Luna tilted her head. "No, silly! Some of the main ingredients in Butterbeer have cheering effects, and I made the string that those are laced through with lemongrass and bits of chamomile. Then I dipped in in boiling nutmeg water to bind everything together. The cheering, mind clearing, and calming effects are great for keeping the wrackspurts away."

Hermione's eyes widened. "So, with all the different 'ingredients' of that necklace mixed together, it has the effects of both cheering and calming potions?"

"Yes, but you can't overdose or get addicted." Luna replied.

"Luna, that's brilliant!" Harry chimed in. "Do you think you could make me one?"

Luna blinked. "I knew that there was something that I had forgotten!" She reached into her bag and pulled out two more necklaces that were almost identical to the one that Hermione was wearing. "Here's yours, Harry, and Hermione can just keep the one she has on."

Hermione suddenly turned to Harry, glaring at the sheepishly grinning boy. "What exactly did she mean, you underwent an old ritual and the ministry's going to come after you."

"Umm... Exactly what you just said?"

"Harry James-" Hermione started, but before she could start her lecture on not rushing into things half-cocked, and telling people when he was going to engage in life altering rituals, she was interrupted by Albus Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," The 'grandfatherly' old man started with a smile and that famous damned twinkle of his. "Harry, my boy, may I enquire as to what that is? I know for a fact that that is not the golden egg from the task."

Before Harry could come up with a suitably snarky response, Luna spoke for him. "Oh, hello Headmaster! Are you absolutely certain that there's no infestation of wrackspurts in your office? I could have sworn that I'd seen them."

"Oh no, my dear girl, the wrackspurts haven't bothered me since I defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald." Harry noted that Dumbledore was attempting to 'remind' him that he was the 'leader of the light' and all should follow him and trust whatever he did and all that nonsense. Harry had just opened his mouth to attempt to respond, when, for the second time that evening, he was interrupted before he could even begin.

The doors of the Great Hall burst open and 5 people walked in. Harry had no idea who the first three were; one was a distinguished looking woman who wore a monocle and bore a very faint resemblance to one of the Hufflepuffs in his year. He could tell that the other two were aurors, but they had to be the most bizarre pair that he had ever seen. One was a tall, tall man with very short hair and skin the color of plain coffee beans, and the other was a young girl, no, woman, who had bright pink hair with flashing green and yellow polka dots. The last two Harry recognized quite easily, after all, one had tried to kill him and the other had tried quite hard to get into Harry's good graces.

Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge were looking quite smug as they scanned the Great Hall, their eyes lighting up like all their Christmases had come at once. "There he is!" The minister said happily in the most pompous voice he could muster. "Aurors, arrest him!"

Dumbledore strode up to the not-so-dynamic duo. "Arrest who, Cornelius?"

Hermione stood up angrily. "And on what grounds!?"

Lucius Malfoy spoke, a smirk on his face. "For the illegal possession of a dragon's egg, we have a warrant for the arrest of one Harry James Potter."

"No, you actually don't." Said a relaxed voice from behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes, I know, another cliffie. But hey, spiked brownies to anyone who figures out who the voice is. Hint: You all know him. You should all review because... umm... it helps me write faster! Yeah, that's it...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this is late, life's just been hectic and I lost my plot outline. And when I started writing again, I forgot about the archive and was really only of FF.N. But anyway, enough with the excuses; to the story!
> 
> Disclaimer: J.K. Rowliing admirare est

Harry smirked as Fnord leaned against the wall, looking as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Fudge started blustering "Now see here young man, I am the Minister of Magic and-"

"And you have absolutely no authority to arrest Harry here." He nodded at the aforementioned boy.

"He has a dragon egg!" The Minister almost yelled.

"You're the minister, but you don't know what that means?" He gestured at the egg. "That is not just a dragon egg, that's the sign of an egg bonded with a Dragon Friend."

A few students and almost all of the teachers in the hall gasped. "Ah, I see that at least a few of you are aware of the old ways." He looked at the minister pointedly. "I called the Unspeakables; I figured that they could do a better job of explaining than I ever could."

"You did what?" The short minister looked like he had blown a top. "The Unspeakables aren't to be summoned for such trivial matters as-"

"Then why are you here?" Harry broke in. "If this is such a trivial manner, then why did a member of the Wizengamot, 3 aurors, and the Minister of Magic come personally?"

"I, umm..."

"I was there when the anonymous letter informing us arrived, and was curious to see what would happen." Malfoy senior cut in, saving the minister from certain embarrassment. "Cornelius, being the good friend he is, decided to accompany me. The extra aurors are here to protect him, after all, he is the Minister."

Harry raised an eyebrow. He had to admit it, Malfoy was pretty smooth. But Fnord was one step ahead of him. "So it's true." A tall man that somehow nobody had seen appeared right in front of Harry. The stranger was wearing black robes with a hood covering his face, and when he spoke his voice had an odd lilt to it that seemed strangely familiar. "I would have thought it a prank, if it weren't for the rarity of the situation. Hmm..." He seemed to be lost in thought as he gazed at Harry. Finally, he nodded to himself, seeming to have judged him worthy. "Please send us word when the egg hatches. It has been centuries since a Draconus Amicus' familiar was born, it would make for an excellent information gathering opportunity."

Lucius Malfoy was angry. "What are you doing? You, as an Unspeakable, should know that it's illegal to possess a dragon egg off of a reserve."

You could almost hear the Unspeakable's eyebrows raising as he spoke. "And you, as a Lord, should know that absolutely nothing can interfere with the bond of a Dragon Friend. Magic herself couldn't intervene; I only came here to request an invitation to the hatching."

Lucius realized that this was not going to end well for him, so he wisely turned to Fudge and they, with as much dignity as they could, apologized for the 'misunderstanding' and took their leave.

The Unspeakable chuckled as the not-so-dynamic duo left. "Well, that was fun!" He said happily, his ominous demeanor from before dissipating entirely. "Thank you Mr. Potter; I've been wanting to do that for a long time." He glanced at his watch. "Oh dear, if I don't get going, it'll be late, and they won't like that at all. Goodbye everyone!" He called as he disappeared.

Harry stared in wide eyed amazement. "Hermione, did he just...?"

"Yes."

"But I thought-"

"That apparition was impossible in Hogwarts?"

"Yeah."

"So did I."

"The Unspeakables are quite good at what they do." Luna interjected calmly, stealing some crisps from Harry's plate as she did so. "You shouldn't be surprised by anything they do."

"You sound like you've dealt with them before." Hermione said suspiciously as she glanced at the spot where the man had disappeared.

Luna smiled brightly. "I'll tell you everything when the purple eyed ploopies are gone." harry and Hermione nodded. They had figured out long ago that Luna used some of her creatures, such as nargles, wrackspurts, and ploopies, to inform them what kind of people were around them. It was a gift of hers. Nargles were bullies, wrackspurts were corrupted people, and ploopies were eavesdroppers.

Dumbledore finally seemed to snap out of his shock, and he turned back to Harry. "Harry my boy, I thought that you were going to stop using Parseltongue."

Harry inwardly snorted. 'Seriously, old man?' Out loud he said. "Honestly, sir? It's just a language, and I never told anyone that I would stop using it."

Dumbledore looked at him, fake disappointment and grandfatherly 'concern' filling his eyes. "Harry, I-"

Suddenly, inspiration struck. "I'm sorry sir, but why do you call me Harry? You're my teacher, so you should be calling me Mr. Potter. Also, I don't see why it's any of your business if I decide to speak another language, so, if that's all..."

If you looked carefully, you could see a spark of anger flashing in Dumbledore's eyes. "Harry-"

"Mr. Potter. As I was saying, if that is all then I will take my leave." Harry rose from his seat, Luna and Hermione close behind him.

As soon as the doors from the Great Hall swung shut behind them, Harry, not even thinking about what he was doing, grabbed Hermione and Luna's hands and dragged them to an unused classroom. The second that Hermione had finished casting silencing charms to ensure their privacy, Harry exploded. "I can't believe that I just did that! Now Dumbles knows for sure that I'm not the docile little golden Gryffindor that he thought I was, and everyone is probably finding out right know about the bond!"

"Harry, it's okay." Luna soothed, an odd... lilt to her voice, like always.

Harry started. That sounded suspiciously like... "Hey Luna," He asked carefully, "Do you, by any chance, know the Unspeakable who was speaking with us earlier.

Luna blinked and tilted her head innocently. "Oh, him? That was just my father."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bwahahahaha! Now that I'm done cackling, please R&R!


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